Rajko Mitić

File:Rajko mitic.jpg

Olympic medal record
Representing Yugoslavia
Men's Football
	1948 London	Team Competition
	1952 Helsinki	Team Competition

Rajko Mitić (Template:Lang-sr) (born near Bela Palanka, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes on 19 November 1922) is a retired football (soccer) player and coach. He won 59 caps and scored 32 goals for the Yugoslavia national football team. [1] He played for Kosutnjak (1937-1938), BSK (1938-1944), in order to become an example and officially the first legend of Red Star (1945-1958) – the first star of the club. In Red Star uniform the scored 262 goals playing in 572 matches, 231 of those in first division and 39 in the National Cup.

He wore the national uniform 59 times and scored 32 goals. Successful as the Red Star’s manager for six years he was even more successful as the captain of the national team leading his country 34 times. Even as an active player, in the early fifties, he was a commentator for “Sport” and later for a long series of years, until retiring, a renowned chronicler of the weekly sports magazine “Tempo”.

When he retired in 1983. he applied himself actively as a volunteer in Red Star, where he was a member of our leadership for a long time including two mandates as Vice president of the club. Today he is active in the Counsel of Veterans, together with the stars from his and later generations.

He was a great ace of Red Star, footballer and gentleman in football boots, respected and loved in the entire country. His popularity form the early fifties turned into a legend and surpassed the time at which he was playing. He was celebrated as the memorable Red Star captain and one of the leaders and best scorers of the national team on which he made a special mark for a full decade.

As a big opponent of unfair play and incorrect contest, he never pulled his opponent by the shirt or stuck his leg out. Football pitch for Rajko Mitic never represented a contest in strength, but a place for a game and demonstration of skill. Put simply: he loved football, spreading his love and fair play onto his club and national team mates and onto the opponents and supporters of all colours.

Red Star and the national team had better players when it comes to the attractiveness and skill, but Rajko Mitic was respected and unique because of his extraordinary people skills and sportsmanship.

He started playing football on the fields of Kosutnjak, in Mai 1938. he became a member of the junior team of then-champion BSK and two years later he had his debut as a striker in the first team against the “knights”. Debutant scored five goals! Second World War stopped his football development but he continued playing in 1944. for the engineer squadron under which he fought in the war together with Predrag Dzajic and Jovan Jezerkic. On the 4th of March when Red Star was founded Rajko Mitic shortly became the captain of the team and he wore the red-white uniform with pride for 14 premiership seasons.

As a captain and a true leader of the team he won five Championships (1951, 1953, 1956, 1957 and 1959) and four National Cups (1948, 1949, 1950 and 1958). He remembers most gladly the first championship title, won in a dramatical finish, when the first place Dinamo lost their lead by slipping in the last three rounds allowing Red Star to win with a better goal ratio of 0.018 goals! A great achievement in the in the career of Rajko Mitic, according to him, was winning the National Cup three times in a row.

He practically never missed a game, except for 1947, when he had to go to rehabilitation after the knee meniscus operation. By looking after the others Rajko Mitic was looking after him self, even in the hardest fought contests. On the 29th of November 1958. he officially retired from football after Red Star’s convincing Cup win of 4:0 at the age of 36 seen out with standing ovations at the hill of Topcider.

As a captain he most frequently remembers two of his decisions that have separated the football public. First, when he sent his best friend Branko Stankovic to the dressing room because of inappropriate conduct. And second, on 7th of April 1957. against Hajduk in Split, when he pulled the entire team off the pitch after a stone thrown from the stands had hit Bora Kostic in the head..

In the 71st minute of the mentioned match the result was 1:1. The disciplinary committee of FSJ suspended all players of Red Star (except Beara and Kostic) for a month. The club did not appeal against the decision and Rajko Mitic made the most positive impression possible on the shocked football public.

He scored his first goal for the national team in his debut on 9th of Mai 1946. in Prag, when Yugoslavia outplayed Czechoslovakia (2:0). Until the end of his career in the national team he scored 32 goals including 3 hat-tricks, against Denmark in 1950 (5:1), against India in 1952. (10:1) and finally in Belgrade against Wales (5:2) in 1953.

He often said that, even today he does not miss a chance to remind of it, his favourite goal in the national uniform is the one against England in Belgrade 1954. (1:0) because it was the decisive goal and it “came” in the last minutes of the game.

He took part in two Olympic tournaments – 1948. in London and 1952. in Helsinki. Both times he won the silver medal. He was also the captain of the unforgettable Olympic team from 1952. (Beara, Stankovic, Crnkovic, Cajkovski, Horvat, Boskov, Ognjanov, Mitic, Vukas, Bobek, Zebec). After two dramatical matches against the USSR, in the second of which Rajko Mitic scored the first goal and opened the way for the important 3:1 win, in time of Inform Bureau and the attack of the Stalin regime on our country.

He also took part in two World Cups (1950. in Brazil and 1954. in Switzerland) but none of these was pleasant. Before the match against Brazil on “Marakana” in Rio, while he was entering the pitch from the underground tunnel, he lifted his head suddenly and hit a metal lid. Due to the large cut and bleeding he was forced to ask for medical attention and couldn’t play until the second half. He didn’t even see Ademiro’s goal in the 3rd minute.

Since in those days there were no substitute players our team was handicapped and lost the game 2:0 but they fought honourably and on par with Brazil.

He celebrated his 50th match in the national team during World Cup in Switzerland 1954. against Germany (later World Champions) that was lost (0:2) even though the opponent was outplayed. He played his last match for the national team on 29th of November in Bucharest against Romania (1:1) as a striker with 35 years and 27 days.

He was the team manager of Red Star from 1960. until 1966. when he became a member of the national team selection committee. As a captain he led the national team 34 times form 23rd of April 1966 until 18th of November 1970. His biggest achievement as a selector was in Italy 1968. when the National team lead by Dragan Dzajic won the silver medal because the Swiss Gottfired Dienst gave away the gold to the hosts!

References

• Template:Sr icon Serbian national football team website